


Crimson Days: Together

by BattleScarredRaven



Series: Crimson Days 2021 [8]
Category: Destiny (Video Games)
Genre: Crimson Days 2021, F/M, Gen, Re-Imagined Lore
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-10
Updated: 2021-03-10
Packaged: 2021-03-16 18:13:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,112
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29953914
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BattleScarredRaven/pseuds/BattleScarredRaven
Summary: Bungie cancelled Crimson Days. Time to bring it back with some one-shot writing prompts.Prompts list taken fromhereandhere.Day 8: Together.Alternative working title: "Let the Bones of the Dead Rest".Zavala comes to terms with the fact he's seeing ghosts. Ikora comes to the terms with the fact he almostbecameone.(A re-imagining of "The Restless Dead" lore.)
Relationships: Amanda Holliday & Cayde-6 (mentioned), Amanda Holliday & Ikora Rey, Amanda Holliday & Zavala, Amanda Holliday/The Crow (mentioned/implied), Ikora Rey/Zavala
Series: Crimson Days 2021 [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2148726
Kudos: 5





	Crimson Days: Together

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by ["The Restless Dead"](https://www.ishtar-collective.net/entries/v-the-restless-dead%22) lore. Additional info from the [Salvager's Salvo](https://www.ishtar-collective.net/entries/salvagers-salvo) lore.
> 
> I highly recommend listening to "Lost Light" from the Destiny 2 OST (the music that plays in the cutscene showing the attempt on Zavala's life) while reading this.

_“_ **_I can’t help but be reminded of a pre-Golden Age saying that I like: ‘Let the bones of the dead rest.’”_ **

**_“An irony, considering we were once dead ourselves.”_ **

**_“But we do not cling to that which we were. We begin anew, forging a brighter future.”_ **

**_“A better future.”_ **

\- Ikora Rey and Commander Zavala.

* * *

_Word of the assassination attempt on Zavala was swift to reach Ikora’s ears._

_It took almost every available resource the Warlock had to make certain the information got no further than the people that needed to know, and the better part of the day double-checking her efforts had not been in vain. The news did not surprise her, given what she already knew about some of Caiatl’s people researching Ghaul’s Light-draining tech, but it still shook her how close they had come to losing another Vanguard. How close she’d come to losing…-_

_Ikora swallowed, her fear palpable. If this was how_ **_she_ ** _felt, it did not bear imagining how the City would react should the news ever hit them. She did not like lying to the people, but… sometimes, secrets were necessary. To keep the peace._

_At least, that’s what she told herself._

_As tempting as it was to go find Zavala right away, Ikora refrained. She still had reports to try and work through - not that she could really focus on them now - and her son, fast asleep and blissfully unaware in the swaying cot she was gently rocking with one foot, to think about. She could not abandon either, not even for a little comfort, so she would not. Not yet, anyway. So, the Warlock Vanguard forced herself to continue working, one eye on Kayde, the other on her many datapads._

_It was early evening before Ikora finally ceased her work and made a move; perfect timing, as her son stirred from his sleep for a feed, which she was all too happy to oblige him before he fell back asleep again. Even when she did move, transmatting from her hidden library to the Tower’s main courtyard, it was not to visit the Commander straight away. Instead, Ikora strode through the courtyard towards the hangar, where Amanda Holliday and a skeleton crew of people were still working. Even Saint-14 had retired for the night._

_“I can’t believe we nearly… can you even imagine what woulda happened if we’d lost ‘im?”_

_Ikora’s head snapped up at the familiar southern drawl angrily yelling from the shipwright’s workbench, and she cradled her sleeping son a little closer to her chest, listening. A cursory glance in that direction revealed Amanda pacing up and down furiously, two greasy, gloved fingers pressed to her ear like she was chatting to someone through comms., though the Warlock hadn’t the faintest idea who._

_“I don’t care what anyone else says; that man is literally the glue keepin’ us all together! I know you weren’t around for it, but you shoulda seen ‘im in the Red War…”_

_Ikora stilled in sudden realisation. She was… talking to Crow? She knew they worked together while helping out Guardian fireteams against Caiatl’s forces, but this wasn’t mission talk. It didn’t even sound like talk to pass the time between instructing a fireteam out on an operation._

_“What kinda question is that? Of course we’re close. He practically raised me. He’s family; I care ‘bout ‘im. Ikora too. And… and Cayde. Before he…” The shipwright stopped her pacing, her next sentence quieter. “I… I miss ‘im somethin’ fierce. ‘M glad Zavala didn’t have t’join ‘im. Dunno what Ikora’d have done, ‘specially with a kid in tow. Thank the Big Guy we don’t have to find out.”_

_The Warlock Vanguard felt something shatter in her heart, and she squeezed her eyes shut, struggling to keep her breathing even. The ache of losing Cayde had dulled, though it still hurt to think about. Especially to hear others talk about him so passionately. Zavala might have been the leader galvanizing them together, but the lovable Exo Hunter had been the_ **_real_ ** _glue keeping them together._

_“Hey… when you’re back from your next mission, we should get a drink down in the City sometime.”_

_Ikora’s eyes snapped back open, almost missing the proposition due to her spiralling thoughts. When had Amanda and Crow gotten so close? For a moment, she felt for the young shipwright. If only she knew; when she did eventually find out, it would potentially be devastating. Still, she would let them have this moment; she had promised Osiris not to breathe a word of Crow’s true identity to anyone, and she wasn’t about to break that now. Even if it would have been… kinder._

_“Ikora!”_

_Her gaze fell back to Amanda, who was now waving her over to her workbench enthusiastically. Regaining her composure and settling her expression into something more neutral, Ikora accepted the invitation, wandering across towards the other woman._

_“Ikora? What ‘n earth are you doin’ here?” The blonde haired shipwright asked her in greeting, pawing at her blue eyes with the back of one gloved hand. “Not that ‘m not glad t’see you ‘n’ all, considerin’, but I’d’ve thought you’d have been with Zavala… and uh, Dallas-13, workin’ out how’ta kick these guys in the teeth.”_

_The Warlock Vanguard couldn’t help the slight upturn of her lips at the other woman’s blunder. “Dallas and Saladin are gathering intel from Vanguard scouts and formulating a plan for us to discuss in the morning as we speak. As for Zavala… I was about to go check in on him.”_

_Amanda’s eyes fell to the infant in Ikora’s arms, and she smiled in understanding. “Need me to watch after the lil’ guy for a while?”_

_Ikora’s face crinkled slightly with worry, all too aware from her eavesdropping that the shipwright might not be in the best headspace for such a task. “I wasn’t certain if I should ask, but... if it’s no trouble..?”_

_“Of course not!” Amanda beamed at her, almost scoffing at the absurdity of such a notion. “You guys are family. Anythin’ you need, Ikora, all you gotta do is holler.”_

_A warmth settled in Ikora’s chest at the mention of being called_ **_family_ ** _once again. She hadn’t ever considered herself as close to Holliday as Zavala, so to be recognised as such by the young shipwright was… different. Good. Her earlier smile became a little fuller._

_“Thank you, Amanda. I appreciate it.” The Warlock told the younger woman gratefully, gently easing Kayde into her arms. “I shouldn’t be too long. Hopefully, he will sleep through until then.”_

_“I’m sure I’ll work somethin’ out if he don’t.” Amanda assured her, gently rocking the small infant in her arms. “Now go on; you go take your time. We’ll be fine, ‘n’ if there’s anythin’ I can’t handle, I’ll come ‘n’ find you.”_

_Even with such reassurance, it took all of Ikora’s effort to pull away, leaving the hangar behind to go find Zavala._

* * *

_Ikora lingered close to Zavala’s usual post in the courtyard, watching as he stared out the City below like he normally did, as though nothing had changed since yesterday, since the days before he had become Commander even. She approached a moment later, and she could see his expression as he looked out had changed little from those early days either; a fierce, proud determination to protect that which he loved, underlined with fear and dread of what was to come. Feelings Ikora herself knew only all too well._

_She leaned on the railing next to him, resting her hands on the cool, metal bars, her honey coloured eyes staring up at the Traveler and the stars beyond._

_“They say that before the Collapse, cities were so bright that they outshined the stars.” Ikora’s voice was barely above a whisper when she spoke._

_Silence was her answer, though it did not surprise her. Centuries of living did not give one insight into another person’s head, nor an understanding of them. That came with a close and steady partnership, communication and trust, and Ikora knew Zavala by now. She knew that he held his fears and doubts close to his chest to protect those he cared about. But sometimes, and with enough patience on her part, he would open up, let her see. Very, very rarely. So, Ikora would wait. For as long as it took._

_“I… I keep seeing his face.” Zavala eventually murmured after what felt like an Age’s worth of silence._

_The Warlock’s carefully maintained expression fell, grief threatening to overtake her. Her voice was somehow even softer when she next spoke. “Cayde?”_

_“No,” the Titan Vanguard shook his head, gripping the railing tight with both hands, his expression changing to a mixture of frustration and self-doubt. “Uldren Sov.”_

_Ikora stiffened, snapping almost perfectly to attention in surprise. The whiplash of being caught off-guard froze her in place for a moment. Had she missed something? Read Zavala completely wrong?_

_“What… do you mean?” She ventured after a minute, cautious._

_“In the Tower.” Zavala elaborated quietly. “In crowds…” There was a hesitation and, for the briefest of instances, Ikora swore she saw a flicker of uncertainty in his glowing blue eyes, like he wasn’t sure whether he wanted to continue. “I saw him last night… in the gardens. He called out to me. To warn me about the assassin.”_

_Silence fell again, Ikora not knowing how to answer him for once. If he had been expecting her to come up with something, she thought, he was going to be disappointed._

_Nothing of the sort made itself known from Zavala. Instead, he just let out a long, slow exhale after a while. “Do you ever listen to the old Golden Age stories Eva tells during the festival? About apparitions of the dead?”_

_“‘Ghosts,’” Ikora answered him quickly, perhaps too much so. “That’s what they called them. But those are just fairytales.”_

_After all, she mused, who needed stories of people coming back from the dead, doggedly haunting living’s footsteps, when Guardians like themselves were doing that already? She watched Zavala out of the corner of her eye as she toyed with this notion, expectant. Waiting for him to say it, to ask the question she knew was playing on his mind…_

_“I don’t know why my mind goes to folk stories,” he eventually continued. “I suppose because the alternative is…” He trailed off, shutting his eyes for a moment._

_“Too hard,” Ikora interrupted with a soft whisper. “Too hard to imagine.”_

_Zavala nodded, letting out a rumbling sigh of agreement._

_Neither of them spoke again for a few minutes. Eventually, the Titan Vanguard was the one to break the silence. “But… if he_ **_were_ ** _back, he would know.” He opened his eyes, glancing Ikora’s way._

_Ah, there it was. She stared straight ahead. Even without looking, she knew he was watching her, checking her, evaluating. Just like her, he was tired. Positively exhausted, even. She desperately wanted to tell him the truth, but in his current state, she wasn’t sure how well Zavala would handle it._

_In that moment, Ikora realised abruptly, he would also trust whatever she told him._

_She reached out with a hand, pressing down lightly on Zavala’s closest shoulder, both as a means to comfort him and as a distraction from the ever blossoming guilt gnawing at her gut. Her voice was gentle, almost motherly, as she answered him next, “We would know.”_

_Zavala reached across with his opposite hand, placing it over hers and, together, they both looked out over the Last Safe City of Earth. Despite their closeness, Ikora couldn’t help but feel profoundly further away from him than she had ever felt before, a feeling she was not used to. Even pulling in closer did little to dissipate it._

_Fingers squeezing her hand tighter brought Ikora’s mind back into focus. She glanced Zavala’s way questioningly, but his gaze still lingered on the sprawling metropolis ahead of them._

_“I’m still here,” he breathed gently, tilting his head slightly so his cheekbone rested against the top of hers. “It’ll take more than a lone assassin to put me down. We’re in this together.”_

_Ikora nodded, though it did little to stop her churning feelings. She would let him have this moment with her, the victory of comforting her, blissfully ignorant of her culpability in the thread of lies spinning around him, of the reflection of the lone sniper sights shadowing them in the corner of her eye and the identity of the keen, burning eyes watching their every movement down the scope._

_“Together.” She affirmed, lacing her fingers with his, and just for a moment, Ikora could breathe again._


End file.
